STATISTICS 402 - Assignment 2
Due January 30, 2015
Farmer Jones wants to make an informed decision about which variety of corn to use. She decides
to run an experiment, a field trial, to compare two corn varieties, A and B. She has a field with 36
plots available for the experiment. On 18 plots she will plant variety A and on the other 18 plots
she will plant variety B. She wishes to see if the two varieties have equal yields, on average, or if
the two varieties have different average yields. She has several choices for assigning varieties to
plots.
1. Convenience Assignment
It is easiest to plant one variety on 18 plots on one side of the field and the other variety on
the 18 plots on the other side. On the next page is a picture of such and assignment and the
yields, in bushels per acre, which would result for each plot. The summary of those yields is
given below
Variety
A
B
n
18
18
Sample mean
144.9
141.8
Sample std. dev.
8.29
7.65
a) Based on this assignment, by convenience, is there a statistically significant difference in
sample mean yields between the two corn varieties? Perform the appropriate test of
hypothesis.
b) Do you think that the result gives a fair comparison between the two varieties? Explain
briefly. Simply saying that it is not a random assignment is not a sufficient answer to this
question.
2. Systematic Assignment (Alternating)
Many people think that an alternating pattern is random, or at least unbiased. On the next
page is a picture of an alternating pattern, like a checkerboard, and the yields, in bushels per
acre, which would result for each plot. The summary of those yields is given below.
Variety
A
B
n
18
18
Sample mean
142.3
144.5
Sample std. dev.
5.75
5.37
a) Based on this assignment, alternating, is there a statistically significant difference in
sample mean yields between the two corn varieties? Perform the appropriate test of
hypothesis.
Think about the results of the two tests of significance, the convenience assignment and
the alternating assignment. Some may find it a bit disturbing that B has a higher sample
mean in one study and A has a higher sample mean in the other. Of course, this could be
due to chance variation. It could also be due to a poor assignment of treatments to plots.
3. Random Assignment
a) How, physically, would you randomly assign varieties to plots? Come up with a
randomization scheme to assign variety A to 18 plots and variety B to the remaining 18
1
plots. Describe how to accomplish your randomization so that someone else can follow
your instructions and get a randomized assignment.
b) Record your assignments in the grid. In each plot in the grid write the letter of the
treatment assigned.
Once you have completed your random assignment, consult “The Truth” – this sheet
gives the yield would be for each plot using either variety. “The Truth” was used to fill in
the yields for the plots in the convenience and alternating patterns you looked at earlier.
In general, “The Truth” is not available since it requires knowing what would happen to
the same plot of land using each of the treatments.
c) Write down the yields for your random assignment – if you have an A in the row 1,
column 1 plot then you would put down 130 whereas if you have a B in the row 1,
column 1 plot you would put down 118 for the yield. Repeat for all plots.
d) Based on this assignment, at random, is there a statistically significant difference in
sample mean yields between the two corn varieties? Perform a test of hypothesis.
e) Examine “The Truth” more closely. What is the relationship between the yields for the
two varieties?
A
130
A
149
A
141
A
150
A
139
A
155
Convenience Assignment
A
A
B
B
149 139 155 137
A
A
B
B
133 152 131 147
A
A
B
B
156 137 146 132
A
A
B
B
142 155 136 152
A
A
B
B
155 139 147 137
A
A
B
B
138 150 137 145
B
145
B
136
B
148
B
133
B
153
B
136
A
130
B
137
A
141
B
138
A
139
B
143
Systematic Assignment
B
A
B
A
137 139 155 149
A
B
A
B
133 140 143 147
B
A
B
A
144 137 146 144
A
B
A
B
142 143 148 152
B
A
B
A
143 139 147 149
A
B
A
B
138 138 149 145
B
145
A
148
B
148
A
145
B
153
A
148
Randomized Assignment
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
2